Device for catching and delivering mail-bags



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W BURKS DEVIGE FOR GATGHING AND DELIVERING MAIL BAGS.

Patented Mar. 24, 1891.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W. BURKS. DEVICE FOR GATGHING AND DELIVERING MAIL BAGS.

No. 448,709. Patented Mar. 24, 1891.

no wunmunm o c rricn.

\VALTER BURKS, OF LYN OHBURG, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO M. T. GOODE, OF SAME PLACE, AND N. A. MOORE, OF CHARLOTTES- VILIJE, VIRGINIA. I

DEVICE FOR CATCHING AND DELIVERING MAIL-BAGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,709, dated March 24, 1891.

Application filed ,l'uly 5, 1890- Serial No. 357,867. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: spring metal having a curve made therein Be it known that I, WALTER BURKS, a citito receive the bag-ring r. The free end of zen of the United States, residing at Lynchthis catch bears against thehook and retains burg, in the county of Campbell and State of the ring, so that the bag will not be jarred or Virginia, haveinvented certain new and useblown off while approaching the stationary 55 ful Improvements in Devices for Catching catches s.

and Delivering Mail-Bags; and I do hereby The arm g is provided with a pivoted hook declare the following to be a full, clear, and or bar q to receive the lower ring 0", whereby exact description of the invention,such as will the bag is held in an upright position to be enable others skilled in the art to which it 2119- taken by one of thestationaryreceiving-hooks 6o pertains to make and use the same. .9, which will now be described.

My invention has reference to an improved The above-described attachments for the device for catching and delivering mail-bags, car are shown as the preferred form; but as I and my purpose is to provide a more simple, do not claim the same any well-known adapteffective, and practical construction than ed form may be substituted. those heretofore in use. The novel parts of my invention will now W'ith this end in view my invention 0011- be described. sists in the peculiarities of construction and s s are twin receiving-hooks formed precombinzfiions of parts more fully described cisely alike to catch the bag from either di- 2o hereinafter, and pointed out in the claim. rection, and they consist of a straight bar 1),

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 of metal, having a goose-neck 25, from which represents a perspective view of my device diverges the guiding-point it. They are conjust before the catching and delivering opernected to a vertical post or standard w by ation takes place; Fig. 2, a similar view just means of the hinge at, which permits them to 2 5 after it has occurred; Fig. 3, a detail view of rise and fall. An arm y is hinged to the post the position of the hinged arm and catchingjust below the point where the bar is hinged, hooks upon the post. and it has upon its free end a hinged or piv- The reference-letter a represents an ordioted hook z to receive the lower ring or of nary maiLca'r, across the door of which is the mail-bag s.

30 placed a horizontal bar I), provided with a re- The upperend of the bagis supported upon .80 versible hook c and handle K of the wella pivoted hook .2" upon the short arm of the known form. This bar has upon it the usual hinged arm orlever z. This arm is arranged rubber cushions (Z, and is mounted in bearin the usual manner, being hinged to the rear ings 6 upon the opposite sides of the door, edge of the top of the post, so that its heavier 35 and its ends project beyond these hearings e portion will drop back in the well-known way and are each provided with an elbow-lever or to the position shown in Fig. 2, and so that similar device f, secured to turn with the rod, it can be brought to ahorizontalposition when and in so turning raise and lower a pair of the mail-bag is in place to be taken by the pivoted arms g through the medium of the catches upon the car, as in Fig. 1.

o connecting-rods h and levers 1?, the latter be- The arm y is so hinged that the end 9o ing fulcrumed in bearings j. which is fastened to the post, will come in The mail-bag s is suspended from the car contact with the straight portion 1; of the refor delivery between the pivoted arm g, which ceivinghooks .9 whenever an effort; is made islocated near the door-sill, and arearwardlyto raise it without raising and setting said 5 extending hook m upon the catching-hook c. hooks. This construction is provided to in- 5 This hook mlies within the sweep of the guideterfere with and prevent the operator from point e of the catching-hook, thereby requirinadvertently hanging a bag without setting ing no more room than the hook itself. the hooks in position to take the bag from the The hook m is provided with a spring clasp train. The connecting-aunt is provided with 50 or catch a, which consists of a flat piece of a cushion-spring o to ease the shock of the (00 bag as it is taken from the train. The lower leaf of the hinge a:, while being so arranged as to interfere with the raising of the bar 1:, also permits the hooks to rest upon the upper surface of the arm 1 and hold them in the proper adjustment to take the bag from the car.

The mechanism attached to the post at the station is operated by tilting the top lever forward in horizontal position, as seen in Fig. l, and attaching the upper ring of the bag to the pivoted hook or arm ,2", then lifting the hooks and bringing arm 1 to a horizontal position and slipping the lower hook it over the pivoted hook upon the hanging arm.

If the operator should attempt to raise the hanging arm 1/ without first lifting the hooks to their proper adjustment, then the inner end 1 of the arm will come in contact with the bar 1' and prevent them from upward movement, as previously mentioned.

Having thus described my invention, what i claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a catching and delivering device for mailbags, the combination of a post or standard provided with a lever and with an arm hinged to said post below said lever, bag-holding devices upon the free end of the arm and upon the short arm of the lever, and a pair of receiving-hooks hinged to the post between said lever and arm in such juxtaposition as to interfere with raising the arm when the latter is down and to rest upon it when up, in the manner and for the purpose substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\VALTER BURKS. Witnesses:

JNo. M. PAYNE, A. R. LONG. 

